Eight of Hong Kong’s prominent restaurants and bars will come together next Saturday for a one off charity lunch at three Michelin star Amber, raising funds for communities affected by severe flooding in Nepal.
The 16 hands lunch on September 12 will bring chefs and hospitality professionals from across the city together for an afternoon of food and fundraising. All proceeds will be donated to the Hong Kong Red Cross Nepal Flash Floods Emergency Appeal 2026, which is supporting emergency relief as well as longer term recovery work.
The event follows severe flash floods and landslides that struck northern Nepal in late August, causing damage to homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure. The disaster has affected communities far from Hong Kong, but the organisers say the response has a direct connection to the city’s hospitality industry.
Eight Hong Kong Names Unite for Nepal
The charity lunch will feature teams from Amber, Cristal Room by Anne Sophie Pic, Leela, Yong Fu Hong Kong, Torikaze Hong Kong, Mandarin Grill, Always JOY and Tell Camellia.
Together, the eight establishments will bring their chefs and hospitality teams into the same dining room for an event designed around a shared cause.
For the participating restaurants and bars, the lunch is about more than bringing different culinary styles together. It reflects the longstanding links between Hong Kong’s hospitality sector and the Nepalese community, whose members have worked for years across restaurants, hotels and bars throughout the city.
Many Nepalese hospitality workers contribute to the daily operation of Hong Kong’s dining industry, often working away from the public attention that surrounds chefs, restaurants and major dining venues.
The charity lunch gives members of the industry an opportunity to support people in Nepal at a time when families and communities affected by the floods are dealing with damaged homes and disrupted infrastructure.
A Connection Through Hong Kong Hospitality
Richard Ekkebus, culinary director of Amber and Mandarin Oriental The Landmark, Hong Kong, said the fundraising effort had a deeply personal meaning for him.
“This cause is very close to my heart,” Ekkebus said.
He pointed to the longstanding contribution of the Nepalese community to Hong Kong’s hospitality sector, describing its members as an important part of the industry and praising their commitment, generosity and loyalty.
For Ekkebus, the appeal also reaches beyond professional connections.
His relationship with Nepal has been shaped by his love of climbing in the Himalayas, where he said he had experienced some of the most meaningful journeys of his life.
“My love of climbing in the Himalayas has given me some of the most meaningful experiences of my life,” he said, adding that those journeys would not have been possible without the strength, kindness and guidance of the Sherpa people.
That personal connection adds another layer to the charity lunch. The event brings together people working in Hong Kong restaurants to help communities in a country that has played a significant role in the experiences of some members of the city’s hospitality industry.
Floods and Landslides Damage Northern Nepal
The fundraising effort comes after severe weather struck northern Nepal in late August.
Flash floods and landslides caused damage to residential areas and essential infrastructure, including roads and bridges. Such damage can create problems well beyond the immediate flooding, particularly when transport routes are disrupted and communities face difficulty accessing essential services.
Emergency relief is therefore only one part of the response. Recovery can require the repair or reconstruction of damaged infrastructure and assistance for people whose homes and livelihoods have been affected.
The Hong Kong Red Cross Nepal Flash Floods Emergency Appeal 2026 is intended to support both immediate relief and longer term recovery efforts.
The charity lunch will direct all proceeds from the event towards that appeal, allowing diners to contribute through their participation in the gathering.
Food Becomes a Form of Support
The event also reflects the role restaurants can play when members of the hospitality industry respond to a humanitarian crisis.
Restaurants normally bring people together around a shared meal. On September 12, that familiar setting will also become a means of raising money for people affected by a disaster thousands of kilometres away.
Holding the lunch at Amber gives the participating chefs a common venue while allowing diners to support the appeal through a single event.
The involvement of eight establishments also broadens the effort beyond one restaurant. Chefs and hospitality professionals from different parts of Hong Kong’s dining scene will work together for the afternoon, putting their collective experience and resources behind the fundraising effort.
The participating venues represent a range of restaurants and hospitality concepts, but the charity lunch gives them a common purpose.
Support for a Community Linked to the Industry
The organisers' focus on Nepalese communities is significant because of the long relationship between Nepalese workers and Hong Kong’s hospitality sector.
Across the city, Nepalese employees have built careers in restaurants, hotels and bars, becoming part of the workforce that keeps the hospitality industry operating.
That relationship means the impact of a disaster in Nepal can be felt personally by people working in Hong Kong. Families and friends may be living in affected areas, while members of the community in the city may be watching developments from afar.
The fundraising event provides an opportunity for colleagues and employers in Hong Kong to respond directly.
Ekkebus said the Nepalese community had served others in Hong Kong with warmth and dignity for many years. His comments place the charity lunch within a wider relationship between the city’s hospitality professionals and the people who have helped shape its dining culture.
The September 12 Charity Lunch
The 16 hands lunch will take place at Amber on September 12, bringing together representatives from all eight participating establishments.
Amber, the host venue, holds three Michelin stars and is led by Ekkebus, who has linked the event to both his professional relationship with Nepalese hospitality workers and his personal experiences in the Himalayas.
Cristal Room by Anne Sophie Pic, Leela, Yong Fu Hong Kong, Torikaze Hong Kong, Mandarin Grill, Always JOY and Tell Camellia will also take part.
The proceeds will go to the Hong Kong Red Cross appeal supporting people affected by the Nepal floods.
For the chefs and hospitality workers involved, the event offers a practical way to respond to a disaster that has affected communities connected to people they work alongside in Hong Kong.
For diners, the September 12 gathering will offer an opportunity to sit at one table with some of the city’s leading culinary names while contributing to relief and recovery efforts in Nepal.
The money raised will go beyond the dining room, supporting emergency response and longer term recovery work for communities dealing with the damage caused by the late August floods and landslides.